y in the school. All shook hands with Tom, and even
Dick got some portion of pity. I wish I had room to give my readers
the moving exhortation which the master gave. But while Mr. Wilson
left the guilty boy to the management of the master, he thought it
became him, as a minister and a magistrate, to go to the extent of
the law in punishing the father. Early on the Monday morning he sent
to apprehend Giles. In the meantime Mr. Wilson was sent for to a
gardener's house two miles distant, to attend a man who was dying.
This was a duty to which all others gave way in his mind. He set out
directly; but what was his surprise, on his arrival, to see, on a
little bed on the floor, poaching Giles lying in all the agonies of
death! Jack Weston, the same poor young man against whom Giles had
informed for killing a hare, was kneeling by him, offering him some
broth, and talking to him in the kindest manner. Mr. Wilson begged
to know the meaning of all this; and Jack Weston spoke as follows:

"At four in the morning, as I was going out to mow, passing under
the high wall of this garden, I heard a most dismal moaning. The
nearer I came, the more dismal it grew. At last, who should I see
but poor Giles groaning, and struggling under a quantity of bricks
and stones, but not able to stir. The day before he had marked a
fine large net on this old wall, and resolved to steal it, for he
thought it might do as well to catch partridges as to preserve
cherries; so, sir, standing on the very top of this wall, and
tugging with all his might to loosen the net from the hooks which
fastened it, down came Giles, net, wall, and all; for the wall was
gone to decay. It was very high, indeed, and poor Giles not only
broke his thigh, but has got a terrible blow on his head, and is
bruised all over like a mummy. On seeing me, sir, poor Giles cried
out, 'Oh, Jack! I did try to ruin thee by lodging that information,
and now thou wilt be revenged by letting me lie here and perish.'
'God forbid, Giles!' cried I; 'thou shalt see what sort of revenge a
Christian takes.' So, sir, I sent off the gardener's boy to fetch a
surgeon, while I scampered home and brought on my back this bit of a
hammock, which is, indeed, my own bed, and put Giles upon it: we
then lifted him up, bed and all, as tenderly as if he had been a
gentleman, and brought him in here. My wife has just brought him a
drop of nice broth; and now, sir, as I have done what I could for
this poor peri